Trial and Error
by DakotaLyon
Summary: 4 years after DOFP: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is up and running. Harper Pierce is a plain Jane human working as the schools doctor and has always felt more excepted into the mutant community than into her own. Harper has all but devoted her life to helping the mutants but that is threatened with the unexpected arrival of a certain man who despises all humans.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello everyone! So I've decided to take a stab at an X-Men fic. I never thought I would but here I am! There definitely are not enough Erik/OC stories around so of course I decided to write one. I'm only going to post the first chapter and see how it goes and I haven't really gotten around to writing up any other chapters so updates will probably not be quick. I'm just going to see where this goes! **__**Reviews are an authors best** **motivation!**_

_**This Story takes place 4 years after the events in Days of Future Past. SOOO if you haven't seen DOFP, I suggest you go out, see it and come back... or else some things might be spoiled for you!** **I do not own anything from the x-men world. Only my OC :)**_

_1977- Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters; Westchester County, New York_

She ran. She was so close. Her lungs burned but she was just so close. She didn't slow. She picked up her pace and full out sprinted. She reached the castle like structure and a smile broke out onto her face. She heard the gravel crunch underneath her running shoes as she reached the main path. Sweat ran down her temples and between her shoulder blades. She saw the front entrance to the school and as she ran past the man with a stopwatch, the smile grew even bigger. She slowed her paced and turned around and jogged back to her friend.

Charles Xavier sat in his wheelchair with the stopwatch poised his hand. Harper Pierce stood next to him, hands on her hips and her chest heaving. She gulped in as much air as her lungs would allow. She looked down at Charles who was also smiling.

"What is it? What's my time?"

"I don't think you really want to know."

"What do you mean?" she exclaimed. "It's worse, isn't it?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ehhh…"

"Damn. I really wanted to beat…" she didn't get to finish because she was cut off when a student came running up to the doorway, clinging to the frame as he tried to catch his breath. Harper instantly recognized the boy as Quint, the boy who could breathe underwater.

"Quint, what's wrong my boy?" Charles asked.

"It's…" He paused to take a breath, "it's Luke. He's gone and hurt himself." Harper and Charles gave each other a look that said "_of course he has_."

"Alright, I'll take a look. Where is he?"

"We were able to get him as far as the kitchen." Quint turned around and walked back into the mansion and Harper started to follow him.

"So I guess this means you don't want to know your time anymore?"

Harper stopped and turned halfway. "One of these days I'll get you to tell me."

"Keep telling yourself that, Love." Harper smiled and shook her head before walking into the mansion and going straight to the kitchen. Luke was sitting in one of the wooden kitchen chairs. He was gripping the arms of the chair harshly and a grimace had set into his face.

"What happened this time?"

Luke looked at Harper sheepishly but answered, "I tried to jump the length of the school and landed wrong."

Luke had the ability to jump long distances. _Kind of like a frog_, Harper thought to herself back when the two were first introduced. She sighed and knelt down to examine his hurt ankle. It was already swollen and had started to turn black and blue.

"Well, it looks like you're going to have to stay off of it for a while. I'm going to have you ice it three times a day and keep it wrapped."

"What about the pain?" Harper looked up at the teenager eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips.

"No pain, no gain, right?"

"So, that's a no?"

"Oh, you know it." Harper observed the disappointed expression on his face and shook her head. She turned her attention to Quint. "Can you please help him to his room and get some ice? Since you were probably encouraging him to do this insane act, you can help him recover. Understood?"

"Yes, Dr. Pierce."

"Good." Harper stood and gave Luke a pat on the shoulder before heading to her own room. Her legs ached, as a result from her run, when she walked up the stairs and all she wanted was to take a shower. She got into her room and headed straight into the bathroom.

The hot water ran over her muscles, soothing them. She felt instantly relaxed and all of her worries were washed down the drain. After, she quickly dried herself, letting her dark curls dry themselves. She dressed in dark blue blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt. She slipped on a pair of simple black heels and headed downstairs.

As she headed down to the main floor, she passed by several students and said hello to each of them. She had treated as least every one of them and even though she had only been at the school for less than a year, she had gotten to know them all personally.

She headed down to the lower levels of the school where most students needed to be supervised. She walked down the illuminated hallway, her heels clicking on the floor. Farther down the hallway led to Cerebro and before that, led the hallways to the training rooms and her lab. She took a right and walked to her lab.

Not to her surprise, she found Hank McCoy leaning over in his seat looking through a microscope. He didn't look up when she walked in and it seemed that he hadn't even noticed she'd arrived. The young mutant had been taking the medicine he had produced himself, so he looked like your average Joe. She walked over and stood in front of the table and stared at him, arms crossed. She cleared her throat.

Hank jumped slightly and looked up from the lens, his glasses falling awkwardly off his head. With quick reflexes, he snatched them before they fell onto the floor.

"What are you looking at so intensely?" She asked with a smile.

Hank placed his glasses on his face before he answered, "I think you know what."

For the past several weeks, Harper and Hank had been trying to come up with a way to intensify a mutant's power. It was initially Harper's idea but she needed more than one brain working on such an intense project. She wasn't even sure it was possible. Though, Hank was the only one who knew about this. No student, not even Xavier, knew what they were doing. Harper didn't know exactly where this was headed, so she didn't want to tell anyone when they were just in the early stages of experimentation. She knew what kind of damage rumors could do. So it was pertinent that this remained secret.

"How's it coming along? Any progress with the results?" Harper rounded the table to stand next to Hank. He sighed and shook his head.

"Not even a little bit."

Harper frowned as she reached for the microscope and peered through it. She watched as the tiny cells danced in their usual way, never changing their patterns. With a huff, Harper pushed away from the scope and took a seat.

"Don't get discouraged. We've only just begun our research. Who knows what things we'll find."

"I know, I know. I just wish," she paused and bit her lip, "I wish there had been some kind of revelation by now."

Hank placed a hand on her shoulder. "Patience, Grasshopper." Harper glared at him.

"I don't have any."

"Duly noted," he said as he stood. "I should go. I've been down here all morning while you've been doing what I want to be."

"What? Running?"

"No, having some fun. There needs to be more of that around here." He said as he shed his white lab coat.

"Are you kidding? You have got to be kidding. Hank, this is a school where mutant kiddies live. There's fun all around."

He laughed and said, "That's just because you're the only human around these parts."

"And that's perfectly fine with me," she said smugly.

Hank gave her one last smile before exiting the lab. After he left, Harper put on her lab coat that had H. Pierce embroidered above the breast pocket and started a new trial. She had gotten DNA samples from the students secretly. A piece of hair here, a scab there. It was dirty work but she had to do it.

The mutant species had been more talked about in the past decade than anything else. Harper took a special shinning to them and was just fascinated by the many different mutations there were and the more that were being discovered. She felt a little envious of them but she thought that maybe she wasn't gifted with a mutation so that she could help the world gain knowledge on mutants. In a good way of course, unlike Bolivar Trask.

When Harper had shown signs of interest in mutant's at her old work place, they banned her. They wanted nothing to do with "those freaks". Harper had been lost for a while but had met Charles and everything fell into place. Being here at the school, she felt more excepted than she did out in the real world and she considered this place her safe haven.

Several hours had passed and Harper grew more frustrated. When the clock struck five o'clock, she decided it was time to go up and get something to eat and relax for the evening. She shed her lab coat and went upstairs. Exhausted, she ran her boney fingers through her long curly hair as she headed to the kitchen to scrounge something up.

As she passed through the large foyer, staircase to her left and main entrance to her right, there was knock on the door. Harper stopped walking and back tracked to the door. She stared at it. She waited.

Knock, knock, knock.

The three rapid, rather insistent raps on the wooden door made her heart speed up. Harper made her way to the wooden door and grasped the cool knob. She reached up to unlock the deadbolt but the metal latch unlocked itself. Harper let out a gasp as she let go of the doorknob and took three steps back.

Before Harper had the chance to yell for help, the knob turned and the door swung open. Her voice got lost in her throat somewhere and her muscles tensed as she looked at the tall figure standing in the doorway. She didn't exactly know what to expect but she was actually surprised by what, or in this case, who she saw.

A man with short brown hair, that was untamed and quite wild, intense blue eyes that seemed dazed, and clothes that were somewhat disheveled stumbled forward in the doorway. Harper stared wide eyed at this crazy but somewhat handsome man. He placed one hand on the doorframe and leaned forward slightly. His other arm clutched his abdomen.

Harper took a small step closer.

"Sir?" The man did not look up at the sound of her voice. In fact he shut his eyes and kept his head down. "Sir, do you need help?" Harper inched forward again. The lighting in the hallway was dim and the sun provided only some light since it was setting. This caused dark shadows to be cast over the man's face.

As she got closer, Harper could see that there was something stained on the front of his dark colored shirt. She was close enough to touch him now and she could see the gash that cut his temple and dried blood. She then realized that the stain on his shirt was blood.

Panic began to set in along with a slight dose of fear. Harper slowly placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, you need a doctor and you're kind of in luck because I happen to know a very good one," she said, trying to make light of a very, serious, and possibly dangerous situation. _Might as well go out with a bang_, she thought to herself if this didn't turn out the way she hoped it would.

The man slowly raised his head and his eyes met hers. They were empty and unseeing and it sent chills up Harper's spine.

"I.." he began but struggled, "I don't need a doctor."

Harper's brows knitted together but before she could protest he spoke again.

"I need Charles Xavier."

Harper's eyes widened when he said the name. Harper almost asked why but didn't get the chance. The man's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he pitched forward. Harper gasped as she tried to support his weight but couldn't. She practically fell to the floor along with him but she regained some composure.

She sat on her legs and placed the man's head on her lap. Harper checked for a pulse and a gush of relief went through her as she felt the flutter against her fingers.

Then, she screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank god they had a student with super strength or else it would have taken several students to get this man down to her lab. She had James, a strong student, lay the man on the examination table and had him fetch Charles right away.

Harper stood by the unconscious man starring at the heart monitor. His heart beat was normal and none of his vital signs seemed irregular. The man seemed completely healthy and the only conclusion she could come up with was that he fainted from exhaustion. Also, looking at the gash on his temple, he was probably hit in the head. She had already taken scans of his head to check for any damage. She couldn't diagnose him with a concussion just yet. She'd have to wait for him to wake up to do the proper tests.

When the student had left earlier, Harper had checked for more wounds since his shirt had been covered in blood. She hadn't taken the time to unbutton all of the buttons so she just ripped it away. She had made a note to apologize to him later and hoped it wasn't his favorite shirt. She'd thrown the ruined rag on the floor, where it still was now, and had had all the materialize she needed at the ready to clean dangerous looking wounds. But to her surprise, there had been none. His skin looked virtually unscathed except for the bruise that had started to form on his upper right rib cage. After the relief had settled into her, she attached the heart monitor patches to his chest.

Now she waited for Charles, arms crossed over her chest and biting her lip. She glanced down at the man again. He was actually quite handsome, she thought to herself in a non-creepy way. Though she kind of passed the creepy factor because she had no idea who this man was and he was basically half naked on her examination table. She also noted that he was a well dresser as she regarded the grey trouser like pants her wore over his long legs.

She glanced down at the shirt and she had come to the conclusion that the blood was not his and that set off all sorts of warning bells in her head. There was no way that that much blood had come from the scrape on his head. The wound didn't even seem like it needed stitches but she would wait to examine it closer when he was conscious.

"His name is Erik Lensherr."

Harper turned around at the sound of Charles' voice. He was staring on the comatose man with a look that Harper couldn't quite identify: anger, sadness. He wheeled farther into the room and came up beside her.

"You don't seem very pleased to see him."

"That's because I'm not." He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you remember the incident in Cuba?" Harper nodded. "And of course, the incident in D.C.?"

"Yes, you know I do," Harper answered, shifting on her feet. She remembered that day as if it happened yesterday, though some parts were fuzzy: the frightened faces, the screaming, running for her life…

"Well you can blame this man for all of those disasters."

"So this is the man that's dubbed the name Magneto?" Harper studied the unconscious man. "For a menace of a man, he's pretty,"

"Handsome?"

Peeved that he had read her thoughts, Harper shook her head and said, "I was going to say that he seems pretty harmless."

"Well, My Dear, part of that has to do with the fact that he's unconscious." Harper laughed slightly and a ghost of a smile played on Charles' lips. "What did he say before he fainted?"

"Nothing. He requested to see you and the next thing I knew, he was out. As far as I can see, he has the gash on his head from being hit with a blunt object. It also looks like he may have a cracked rib or two," she said indicating the bruises on his abdomen.

"Is that his?" Charles indicated the bloody shirt on the ground. Harper nodded.

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that that blood isn't his." Harper looked at Erik and spotted something on his neck. It was small but it was there. She walked up to the edge of the metal table and bent down. She placed her hand gently on the small red spot.

"What is it?"

Harper shook her head. "I don't really know." Harper quickly rolled over a small cart which held a scientific magnifier that was attached to a stand. She adjusted the lens over the spot and peered at it. She touched the spot lightly and it felt slightly swollen. "It looks like," she paused for a second, "it looks like an injection site of some sort." She ran her thumb over it.

Suddenly, the magnifier flew off the cart and crashed to the ground. A hand knocked her own away and then it was on her throat. It held on tight. Harper gasped and tried to pry the strong hand away.

"Charles!" Harper exclaimed, raspy. She looked at the man who was no longer unconscious and was in fact sitting up. He was looking right at her but she felt as if he didn't see her at all.

"Erik! Erik, let go of her!" Charles yelled. But it didn't work. The grip only grew tighter and Harper started seeing black dots.

_Erik! Let go of her goddamit! _

Charles spoke telepathically to Erik but somehow Harper was able to her it as well.

_Let. GO!_

Erik looked at Charles, blinked a couple of times and then seemed to come to his senses.

"Charles?"

Harper made a weak noise and realizing what he was doing, Erik quickly pulled his hand away. Harper sucked in lung fulls of air and stepped away from the man. When she breathed outwards, a coughing fit ensued. She gripped the edge of the medical table as she tried to get the coughs and her breathing under control.

"Harper? Harper, are you alright?"

She heard the urgency in Charles' voice but she couldn't answer him vocally. She nodded her head and waved a hand lazily to signal that she would be okay… eventually.

"Charles."

Charles and Harper turned their attention from one another and looked to Erik. He had managed to swing his long legs over the edge of the table, feet touching the floor, and sat upright. He wore a confused expression.

"How am I here?"

"You mean, you don't remember what happened?" Harper asked, her voice sounding raspy. His cool gaze slid over and connected with hers.

"Not exactly," he answered. Harper detected a slight accent but couldn't distinguish it. He looked away and lowered his eyes towards the floor, half closing them. "Only fragments."

"Well then why don't I help you remember?" Harper was about to warn Charles but it was too late. He was already digging inside Erik's head and the man hunched over in pain, gripping his head with his hands. Harper knew that he was making the process painful out of his obvious hate for the other man. Erik let out a cry of pain and his fingers dug into his scalp.

Harper flung herself in front Erik and looked at Charles desperately. She knew placing herself between the two made no difference but she couldn't help herself.

"Charles stop it. He didn't mean to hurt me, he didn't know what he was doing. Charles please. Whatever there is between the two of you can wait." She was trying to break his concentration but it wasn't working. "Charles! He has sustained injuries to his head already and may have a concussion or something different entirely! Having you dig around in there might make things worse!"

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Charles stated. Erik made another sound of pain. Harper's heart beat heavily in her chest. She was running out of options so she did what any sensible woman would do if a man wasn't behaving. She slapped him. Charles' head whipped to the side and he made a pained expression. The room was silent other than Erik's heavy breathing.

"This man is still my patient, whether he be your enemy or Satan himself."

Charles placed his hand on his reddening cheek and looked up at her. She saw anger and also, sadness.

"Harper, you haven't the slightest idea…" but she held her hand out to stop him.

She held up her hand. "Stop. Whatever you say will not give you the excuse to kill him. At least, not at the moment." She glanced over her shoulder to Erik who was still hunched over but was glaring at Charles from half lidded eyes.

"Go." She said.

"What?"

"You heard me. Go."

"Harper,"

"Charles. You've done enough. So please, just go." Charles looked past her at Erik and then back to her.

"Fine. But bring him to my study as soon as you've cleared him."

"I will."

Charles hesitated before turning his wheelchair around and left to head back upstairs. Harper watched until he disappeared out the doorway just for good measure.

"Thank you."

Harper turned around to face Erik. He was no longer hunched and sat straight up. If the bruises on his abdomen hurt, he definitely didn't show it. She was suddenly very aware his half nakedness again and them being alone. She felt his intense blue eyes on her and was very happy her olive skin hid her blush. She cleared her throat.

"For what? That?" she waved a dismissive hand and walked to one of the cabinets and opened it. She grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, gauze and steri-strips and also snagged the plain black shirt she had stumbled upon in her lab. She walked back over to the table where Erik sat. He watched her every move closely. Harper set the materials down next to him on the table

"Don't thank me. All of that crap about having serious injuries to your head was a bunch of crap. I already took scans of your head and didn't see anything abnormal. I just didn't want Charles to kill someone out of some personal vendetta he has."

A lopsided smile played on Erik's lips, his eyes studying her. "And here I thought you actually wanted to save your patient."

That caught her off guard. She _had_ said that and she also basically said she'd take care of the devil if he got a high fever.

"You owe me a new magnifier," she said, changing the subject. He looked down at the broken medical equipment on the floor. Then his eyes found the bloody, ripped shirt on the floor.

"Looks like _you _owe me a new shirt."

"Well it is," she paused, taking the time to look at it, "it's a bit… stained. So I thought a few missing buttons would be no big deal. Please don't tell me that was your favorite shirt." She began to remove the heart monitor patches from his chest.

"It wasn't," he said, amusement in his voice. Though the amusement vanished when he spoke again. "That's not my blood." It was more of a statement than a question. She set aside the patches that were still connected to the heart monitor and looked at him, trying to catch his eye.

"No," she said simply before she took her flashlight out of her lab coat pocket and clicked it on. "It probably came from the person who did this to you," she indicated his injuries. "I need to do a couple of tests."

"For what?" his voice sounded guarded.

"For a else?" She raised the flashlight but an invisible force stopped her from waving it in front of his eyes. Both of them flicked their gazes to the frozen flashlight in her hand and then back to each other.

"I thought you said I didn't have one."

"The scans may have not have shown anything but I still need to make sure." He gave her a skeptical look. She sighed and said, "Trust me, Mr. Lensherr. I'm a doctor." He seemed surprised when she called him by his last name but then he let out a small, humorless laugh.

"The last doctor to say that to me, I killed." It was just a statement, not meant to strike any kind of fear into her but it still made her heart jump. There was a moment of silence before she felt the tension on the flashlight disappear. "Though, in a way, you did save me. Even though you have no idea who I am, what I've done."

"I know more than what's in the papers."

"Because of Charles."

"Yes." She watched him carefully before she moved to check his eye movements with the flashlight without him saying another word. She had him follow her finger as she moved it left, right, up and down. She tested his reflexes and reaction times as well.

When she was done, she leaned closer and set on cleaning the gash on his head. She had soaked some gauze with rubbing alcohol and cleaned the wound with that.

"So you really don't remember anything?" She asked absently, focusing on the wound.

"Like I said before, only fragments." She must have pressed harder than she'd meant to because he flinched. She pulled back her hand slightly.

"Sorry."

"It's alright."

"So you can't tell me how that needle mark got on your neck?" Erik's hand moved to his neck and touched the skin. She set down the bloody gauze and picked up the steri-strips. As she was applying the strips to the gash, he spoke.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Charles will pry it out of my brain later." She applied the last strip and met his gaze. It wasn't easy avoiding his eyes because of how close they were. She gave him a small smile.

"I'll make sure he behaves himself." The corners of his mouth tipped upwards. She picked up the shirt she had brought over and extended it to him. He took it with a small nod as a thank you. She grabbed the bottle of rubbing alcohol and used gauze.

"Are you two together?"

Harper almost dropped the items in her hand when he asked the question. Mostly because he asked it so nonchalantly.

"What?" He gave her a coy smile, his eyebrows raised as he waited for her answer. "No, no. I'm just the doctor here at the school and Charles and I are _just _friends." She turned and walked to the cabinets to put the materials away. And to put some space between them. She was actually kind of mad he had asked her that. Why did he care? She threw the gauze away and put the bottle back in the cabinet.

"What is your mutation?"

She turned around and saw that he had pulled the shirt over his head. He tugged it down over his torso and the bruises, not to mention the abs, disappeared. He ran a hand through his ruffled brown hair and looked at her expectantly.

"X-ray vision," she said with a smile, giving him a quick up-down look and crossing her arms over her chest. She watched as an uncomfortable expression crossed over his face. A laugh escaped her and she shook her head. "Relax, I'm kidding." She walked over to where the magnifier lay broken on the floor. She hoped he knew that she _wasn't _kidding about owing her a new one. "I'm just a plain old boring human." She moved to the heart monitor and turned it off. "It's okay if you start to despise me now," she said looking over at him.

It was quick but she saw the change in his eyes. The way he looked at her was different now.

"Charles has a human working at a school for mutants?" He didn't try to hide the distaste in his voice.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" she asked. Erik moved to stand up. Harper could tell he was in pain by the way he clutched his abdomen as he put his feet on the floor and slowly stood.

"I suppose not. He's always had a soft spot for the,"

"For the weak?" Irritation filled her voice. He gave her a startled look. Her own expression turned harsh. "You know I was there. The attack on D.C. four years ago? I was there. Took two bullets from those machines… no monsters," she corrected herself. "One in my leg and the other went through my shoulder. Not once did I think to just give up and bleed out on the freshly manicured lawn of the White House. Even though I was running for my life, I don't think it makes me weak." Charles had told her that this man hated humans but never imagined she's ever meet him. Now she wished he hadn't. She shrugged off her lab coat and threw it on one of the lab tables.

"You hold a grudge against me."

She shook her head. "If I held a grudge like that for four years, I'd be one grumpy person." She noticed he was standing now without holding his abdomen. She didn't feel like continuing the conversation so she switched it back to medical things. "Do you think you can walk on your own?"

He nodded, "I think so."

"Great," she made to move towards the door, beckoning him to follow. "Come on, I promised Charles I'd deliver you to him."

Slowly but surely he made his way over to her. She kept a close eye on his just in case he decided to keel over, even though she'd be more than happy to see him face plant into the floor. When he came up beside her, she has to crane her neck to look at his face.

"Has anyone told you how ridiculously tall you are?"

"Not recently, no," amusement filled his voice again.

"Alright let's go," she said walking away and not waiting to see if he was following. Though she knew he would. When they got upstairs, they had to weave between the students that milled around the halls. Some said hello to Harper and she returned the friendly words, occasionally asking how they were. The quizzical and curious looks on the student's faces as they looked at Erik did not go unnoticed by them both. Some even whispered amongst themselves.

They reached Charles' study and Harper went to knock but the door handle turned and the door swung open before her knuckles could touch wood. Erik brushed past her into the room. Harper scowled after him and followed him into the room. She closed the door behind her.

Charles sat in his wheelchair next to Hank, who sat on the couch. They both looked up from their conversation as they came in. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife. Harper took a deep breath and took a seat in one of the arm chairs across from the couch. Erik took a seat in the chair next to her.

Hank looked like he was trying very hard not to go all blue and furry on Erik's ass. Charles had a strained expression on his face. Then he took a deep breath and spoke.

"So, want to tell us what the hell you're doing here?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**This is a bit of a short chapter but I'm sure you'll enjoy it! **_

"So, want to tell us what the hell you're doing here?"

The three of them were looking at Eric, waiting for his answer. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"I don't remember how I got here."

Harper shifted in her chair. She didn't realize how great it felt to sit down after all those hours of standing and worrying. She glanced at the clock. Well it _had_ seemed like she was in her lab for hours upon hours but it had only been an hour and a half. She glanced outside and the sun was now just setting. Charles was about to tell him that didn't answer his question but Harper spoke up before him.

"Why don't we start off by what you do remember? Where you were before you came here, what you were doing, maybe."

"I know I was at the mansion where I live with the other mutants in the Brotherhood." Harper's eyebrows rose and she looked to Charles. He gave her a grim look. Erik continued. "I was talking to some of them…" he trailed off and squeezed his eyes shut. He shook his head and said, "but the rest is fragments. I remember the pain of getting hit in the head and a pinch on my neck,"

Hank interrupted to speak to Harper.

"You checked his neck?"

"Yeah, I almost missed it. It's an injection site no doubt. What they injected you with is anyone's guess."

"If we took some blood we could probably try and find out," Hank suggested.

"Excuse me?" Erik asked, alarm in his voice.

"Relax," Harper said, "even though I would enjoy sticking a needle into your arm, why don't we see what you can remember first." She looked to Charles. "Less painfully perhaps."

_You realize you just contradicted yourself, My Dear_. Charles spoke to her telepathically. Her eyebrows knitted together and she thought '_Oh shut up_' back at him. A ghost of a smile hinted on his lips before it disappeared. He moved his wheelchair so that he was in front of Erik.

"I promise not to try and kill you this time," Charles said, as he reached up to touch Erik's temples with his forefingers.

"Thank you for the reassurance," Erik replied, though he didn't sound fully convinced.

Harper saw the questioning look on Hanks face and she said, "It's a long story."

"I'm going to try to release the memories you have of that night so you can tell us what happened," Charles paused, his eyes darkened slightly and then said, "close your eyes, Erik."

Erik did as he was told and Charles also mimed the action. Taking a deep breath, Charles relaxed his body and dug into Erik's mind. He disregarded the unimportant and dug through the useless thoughts until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed hold of the locked memories from Erik's mind and released them. Before pulling away, Charles asked, "Do you remember now?" He felt Erik's head nod slightly and then Charles sat back in his wheel chair.

"Now, you can tell us what happened." Charles wheeled himself back to sit beside Hank. Erik hesitated before he spoke, trying to figure out where to start.

"I was at the mansion,"

"You said that already," Hank interjected. Erik's brows furrowed in distaste but continued.

"The mansion is located on the outer city limits of London. I was in my own office when two members of the Brotherhood came to speak with me."

Harper tried to wrap her head around the fact that the mansion was in England… and they were in New York State. She kept her questions to herself though.

"Their names are Max and Ansel. They wanted to talk about a private event that we were going to have at the mansion to recruit more mutants. Then someone hit me and I fell to the ground. Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled my head back and I felt a pinch on my neck," he rubbed the spot just above his collarbone. "They released me and I rushed to stand up, but I was still dizzy. I remember Max saying that it was time for a leadership change. I tried to use my powers but I couldn't."

"What do you mean 'you couldn't'?" Hank asked, scooting to the edge of his seat.

"I couldn't feel it in me. I usually feel a pull but it wasn't there."

Hank, Charles and Harper all stared at Erik in silence. Harpers gaze shifted to the ground as she thought.

"They must have injected you with some sort of… serum that, now I can only assume this, but a serum that suppresses the mutant gene," she said, keeping her gaze to the floor.

"You mean like a cure?" Hank asked. Harper shook her head.

"No, it can't be," she said looking up at him. "It's obviously temporary because you," she switched her eyes over to Erik, "displayed down in the lab that you have full control of your power."

"Is anyone in the Brotherhood that smart enough to create such a thing?" Charles asked. Though, Erik shook his head.

"No, they must have gotten their hands on it somehow," Erik answered.

"So, not only are we dealing with an out of control group of mutants but we are also dealing with a mystery cure," Hank said.

"It's not a cure, Hank," Harper pointed.

"It could be. It just depends who's behind the microscope," he countered. Harper raised a brow at him.

"Let's put this mystery serum on the back burner for now, shall we? Erik, exactly how did you get here if you were across the ocean?"

"There is a teleporter. He helped me get away and I told him to bring me here."

"Why?" Charles asked as if he couldn't fathom a reasonably good explination, on all of God's green Earth, for why Erik chose this place.

"Because I knew it was safe," Erik said with such an intensity that Harper couldn't help the chill that went up her spine. "Or was I wrong, Charles?" The two men just stared at each other. Charles shook his head.

"No, you weren't wrong."

There seemed to be a sudden relief that flooded the room. Harper spoke up.

"So where is this teleporter that helped you? He risked himself to save you so I'm sure he wouldn't return back to the mansion."

Erik turned his blue eyes to her.

"I'm not sure," he said, speaking of what she was pretty sure was the truth.

She continued while she still held his attention, "You mentioned an event. Do you think they will still do it?" Erik scoffed.

"Max's ego is too big to cancel something like this." Charles sighed.

"I will search for them with cerebro to make sure they truly haven't moved. Since I already know where they should be, finding such a large group shouldn't be hard." Charles said. He looked over to Harper. "Darling, you look terrible."

"Gee thanks," she said bitterly. But she knew he was right. She hadn't had a wink of sleep yet because of Erik's arrival and her eyes suddenly felt extremely heavy.

"Harper, you've been very helpful but go get some sleep now."

She smiled weakly at her friend. "I don't even have to argue with you about it," she said as she stood. Before she turned to walk out of the room she caught Erik's eyes.

"Thank you," he said, truly meaning it.

She gave him small smile and curt nod.

"You're welcome," she replied before leaving the room. She shut the office doors behind her and leaned back against it. She took in a deep breath and let it rush out. She was drained. She made the journey up to her room and fell face first onto her bed once she reached it. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light.

* * *

When she woke up, Harper felt groggy. Her blouse had come untucked form her skirt and her skirt had shifted so the back of it was in the front. She managed to sit up and when she glanced at the mirror, her curls stuck out at odd angles. She groaned and checked the clock. She had been asleep for close to three and a half hours. She glanced outside and saw the sun was gone and the moon was high in the sky. She decided to take a shower and then afterwards, would go right back to sleep. She locked her bedroom door and headed into her bathroom, leaving the door cracked.

Harper stood in the shower and kept her eyes closed. She let the warm water engulf her body and sooth her muscles. The sound of the running water lulled her and she almost fell asleep standing up. She opened her eyes and gave herself a little slap on the cheek. She turned the water off and grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around her tightly and tucked the end in so that it wouldn't fall. She used her hand to wipe the condensation off the mirror. She wrung out her sopping mess of hair and was too lazy to run a brush through it.

As she reached for a smaller towel to dry her hair better, she heard the faint click of a lock. She turned her head to the bathroom door but she had left that door cracked open. Then she remembered she had locked the bedroom door. She forgot about drying her hair off and went to the bathroom door. She pushed it open and stepped out.

Her bedroom door was open and standing just inside the doorway was Erik. Harper let out a little shriek and clutched the white towel. He looked over at her, shocked to see her. Why was he shocked? This was her room!

"What are you doing in here?" she cried angrily. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

"Is this your room?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Now get out!" she said, making a shooing gesture with her hand. Instead of turning to leave, he just stood there. His eyes quickly scanned her and she saw that he finally noticed the predicament. His eyes lit up like a wild fire and a predatory smile spread across his face.

Harper did not like that one bit and her stomach did a summersault. With a quick movement of his hand the door shut behind him and locked. Harper's heart beat quickened.

"Did you hear me? I said 'get out' not 'please stay'!"

He chuckled and took a step closer. Harper's hands tightened on the towel around her but she stayed where she was. He glanced around the room.

"This used to be my room once. That's why I'm here," he said, his eyes coming back to meet hers. "Of all people, this is the room you were put in." He took another step closer.

"Are you afraid I've infected it with my human germs?"

His smile only grew wider.

"You kept it exactly the same way I had it. Good girl."

"Are you taunting me right now?"

"I just like the way humans squirm," he said, now only three feet away from her. She gave him her best scowl but he was doing a very good job at being the big bad intimidating mutant. She saw his eyes dart to the bullet scar on her shoulder. The smile disappeared and his eyes grew dark. "The bullet is still in there, isn't it?"

Harper glanced down at the scar. "Yes. They couldn't take it out without causing too much damage. How did you…" but she didn't finish her question because she already knew the answer.

"After what happened, you still support the mutant cause?" his eyes moved back to hers. She nodded. He stepped even closer. They were inches apart. He was so tall that her head only reached his chest. Though she didn't crane her neck to look him in the eye. He lifted his hand and slowly trailed a finger across her shoulder. "How much do you care for mutants?" he asked in a low voice. Harper's breath hitched in her chest and she almost forgot how to speak.

"Very much," she croaked. She didn't see it but she knew there was a grin on his face.

"Is that so?" his finger trailed down her upper arm and stopped at her elbow. "You know what I think?" At that, Harper looked up at him. "I think that no matter what you say or what you do, you're just like the rest of them." Harper gulped.

"Well, I think you're wrong. And I'm going to prove it to you."

He let out a small, maniacal sounding laugh. He leaned in close to her face, his eyes half lidded with that smile on his lips. "I doubt it," he whispered. Then he leaned away and removed his hand from her elbow. He turned and walked towards the door. "You can keep the room," was all he said before opening the door, without his hands, and shutting it behind him. The lock clicked and Harper stood alone and quiet, trying to make out what just happened. Finally she leaned back against the wall, looked up at the ceiling and said,

"Oh. My. God."


End file.
